Seeking advice - how do you work with someone you despise?

[Anonymous]

How do you work with someone you despise?

I am in a workgroup where I am the senior person responsible for a technical project. I have no direct reports (and I don't want any) but I am required to work with a junior person in my workgroup. This junior person is incompetent. The person regularly fails to complete things and I end up fixing the mess.

I have already gone to my supervisor with documented examples of this person's mistakes. The supervisor has thanked me, had the person apologize with the "I will do better next time" statement, and moved on. This has been going on for over three years.

The person messed up again last week and I fixed it. This time the documentation will be compiled by another workgroup as it did not just affect our workgroup.

I am so frustrated by this situation. As I see it, I can learn to accept it or get ready to switch to a new job. Except for this one incompetent person, I love my job and would not want to leave.

So how do I best deal with it and work with this incompetent person?

[Anonymous]

Get HR to move the incompetent one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get HR to move the incompetent one.

It would take a decade for that to happen. (Well, maybe not a decade -- but a really long time.)

[Anonymous]

What kind of mistakes are these? Typographical errors, miscalculations, etc?

If you are senior and this person is below you then it is your responsibility to sign off on the final project. If you missed the mistakes then you need to own it, not blame it on someone else. In addition, you should be mentoring this person not trying to sabotage their career by going to the boss first. Talk to them, make suggestions for how they can improve. It reflects poorly on you if you refuse to mentor someone.

If there are other issues such as personality conflicts, etc. Then you need to figure out ways to resolve it or stay professional. A team environment is just that and you need to keep in mind that when you undermine a team member you undermine the team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What kind of mistakes are these? Typographical errors, miscalculations, etc?

Not testing things out when told to. Not informing others that things are not working. Not getting things done per a scheduled time line.

Anonymous wrote:If you are senior and this person is below you

This person is not my direct report. We both report to the same supervisor.

Anonymous wrote:In addition, you should be mentoring this person

I did this in the beginning of this person's employment. I am not this person's supervisor and I can no longer tolerate what is the equivalent of time wasting.

Anonymous wrote:A team environment is just that and you need to keep in mind that when you undermine a team member you undermine the team.

Yes, this person has consistently undermined the team and that is why I have always fixed the problems. I do not feel comfortable ignoring the mistakes that have been left by this person and letting someone else (like our supervisor) deal with the repercussions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What kind of mistakes are these? Typographical errors, miscalculations, etc?

Not testing things out when told to. Not informing others that things are not working. Not getting things done per a scheduled time line.

Anonymous wrote:If you are senior and this person is below you

This person is not my direct report. We both report to the same supervisor.

Anonymous wrote:In addition, you should be mentoring this person

I did this in the beginning of this person's employment. I am not this person's supervisor and I can no longer tolerate what is the equivalent of time wasting.

Anonymous wrote:A team environment is just that and you need to keep in mind that when you undermine a team member you undermine the team.

Yes, this person has consistently undermined the team and that is why I have always fixed the problems. I do not feel comfortable ignoring the mistakes that have been left by this person and letting someone else (like our supervisor) deal with the repercussions.

Perhaps this person need more supervision. If the person cannot stick to a time table or complete tasks then someone should step up (you or your supervisor) and ask for proof that things were done ahead of the due dates. Email and cc your boss on emails.

Has your boss discussed what s/he thinks of the situation? Does s/he find the errors not a big deal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps this person need more supervision. If the person cannot stick to a time table or complete tasks then someone should step up (you or your supervisor) and ask for proof that things were done ahead of the due dates. Email and cc your boss on emails.

Has your boss discussed what s/he thinks of the situation? Does s/he find the errors not a big deal?

I have been emailing and cc: my supervisor. Unfortunately our supervisor does not like confrontation and has behaved similarly in the past with another employee (who left to relocate from the area).

[Anonymous]

It sounds like you have two options.

One, let the employee stand on his own two feet. He either succeeds or fails. Like a toddler - natural consequences. He doesn't learn because he doesn't have to learn. You do it for him. And, distance yourself from him as much as possible.

Two, continue to clean up his messes and come to terms with it. Fighting it hasn't been working so come to peace with the fact that this is an unwelcome part of your job and let the anger go.

An alternate solution is to freeze him out. This tactic takes a while and will probably cause you stress. Take over his job responsibilities and cut him off from participating in the group.

[Anonymous]

Can you limit your work with the incompetent boob? I have a couple boobs at my job and I shy away from working groups with them and sign on for other groups because I know if I get involved in their work I will have to do everything. It's so annoying! All you can do is continue to highlight it to your supervisor. They don't ever want to fire anyone, and for all you know the boob is on a Performance Improvement Plan or something else confidential with HR. I hope it doesn't chase you away from a career you love. Also, if the person is a total f*ck up they can't be too happy there either. Hopefully they will move on soon!

[Anonymous]

OP, I think your attitude is a problem

[Anonymous]

It looks like you've tried, and have not been successful.

You need to have a discussion with the boss -- and tell him that you refuse to work with this person any longer. Describe the steps you have tried to help this person and make it work, but that it has continuously failed, and that you don't see it ever improving.

Say that your productivity and morale are way down because of it. If the boss doesn't want to fire the person, at least they know that you do not want to work with that person any more, and may move him to another partner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I think your attitude is a problem

^ I completely agree.

OP the title of this thread is "[working] with someone you despise"

Nothing in your follow up posts explain why you despise said person. While they seem to be not doing their job it really sounds like you have an issue since your boss doesn't seem to care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I think your attitude is a problem

^ I completely agree.

OP the title of this thread is "[working] with someone you despise"

Nothing in your follow up posts explain why you despise said person. While they seem to be not doing their job it really sounds like you have an issue since your boss doesn't seem to care.

OP here -- I agree that my attitude is the problem. The junior person makes me nuts and I cannot put up with it much (any?) longer. I have tried mentoring. I have gone to our supervisor. I have done the "let's go to lunch" thing. The person I have to work with is someone I have little-to-no respect for as the person is (a) irresponsible, (b) unreliable, (c) untrustworthy, and (d) uncooperative. I despise working with frauds, and this person is a fraud.

Thus my question -- how do I (best) work with someone I despise. Turning on the fake saccharin-sweetness to this person is not my style.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It looks like you've tried, and have not been successful.

You need to have a discussion with the boss -- and tell him that you refuse to work with this person any longer. Describe the steps you have tried to help this person and make it work, but that it has continuously failed, and that you don't see it ever improving.

Say that your productivity and morale are way down because of it. If the boss doesn't want to fire the person, at least they know that you do not want to work with that person any more, and may move him to another partner.

I have done this. My supervisor said that it can be unfair to penalize a person that has distraction issues and oftentimes a good approach is to try to teach them how to be less distracted. Therefore, I concluded that I have to continue to deal with this person.

My supervisor had to supervise a similar type of employee before, and that employee was with our group for six years. The only reason that the employee is no longer in our workgroup is due to the employee's choice to get married and relocate. My supervisor is not the firing type. (Yes, I am thankful I had little required working assignments with that employee!)

[Anonymous]

Sounds like you are the team lead and you need to learn how to do that role. You are still acting like a regular employee, but you aren't.

Welcome to management.